NMU business competition brings out brightest, best

April 14, 2014

Northern Michigan University's New Business Venture Competition brought forward a number of creative ideas from NMU students for new businesses.

We're happy to see this competition continue at Northern. It's a great way to foster entrepreneurship among young people and to help them along the way as they formulate business plans, conduct elevator pitches and learn about the incredible amount of time, effort and courage it takes to start a small business.

This year's winner was Jacob Yoho, a December graduate of NMU's business management program. Yoho designed a garment that better enables women to function following a mastectomy. The tank top, designed to be worn as a layering garment, allows women to tastefully conceal the drainage tubes they are given for several weeks following the surgery, with pockets sown into the side to hold the bulbs that would collect the fluid.

It's also designed to be placed on the body from the side, as people often have trouble lifting their arms over their heads after this type of surgery.

With a little ingenuity and some creativity, Yoho has designed something that could be a benefit to an untold number of women across the country.

And it all got started with a competition at Northern.

These are the kinds of ideas that that things like the New Business Venture Competition can help bring to light. We believe NMU's competition is an invaluable part of the business program at Northern, and is proving to be an invaluable asset to the community at large.

We can't wait for next year's competition to see what new and innovative ideas these young minds dream up.